EP1861635B1 - Belt tensioner with wear compensation - Google Patents
Belt tensioner with wear compensation Download PDFInfo
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- EP1861635B1 EP1861635B1 EP06721690A EP06721690A EP1861635B1 EP 1861635 B1 EP1861635 B1 EP 1861635B1 EP 06721690 A EP06721690 A EP 06721690A EP 06721690 A EP06721690 A EP 06721690A EP 1861635 B1 EP1861635 B1 EP 1861635B1
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- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- tensioner
- bushing
- spindle
- tensioner arm
- shaft
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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Classifications
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16H—GEARING
- F16H7/00—Gearings for conveying rotary motion by endless flexible members
- F16H7/08—Means for varying tension of belts, ropes, or chains
- F16H7/10—Means for varying tension of belts, ropes, or chains by adjusting the axis of a pulley
- F16H7/12—Means for varying tension of belts, ropes, or chains by adjusting the axis of a pulley of an idle pulley
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16H—GEARING
- F16H7/00—Gearings for conveying rotary motion by endless flexible members
- F16H7/08—Means for varying tension of belts, ropes, or chains
- F16H7/10—Means for varying tension of belts, ropes, or chains by adjusting the axis of a pulley
- F16H7/12—Means for varying tension of belts, ropes, or chains by adjusting the axis of a pulley of an idle pulley
- F16H7/1209—Means for varying tension of belts, ropes, or chains by adjusting the axis of a pulley of an idle pulley with vibration damping means
- F16H7/1218—Means for varying tension of belts, ropes, or chains by adjusting the axis of a pulley of an idle pulley with vibration damping means of the dry friction type
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16H—GEARING
- F16H7/00—Gearings for conveying rotary motion by endless flexible members
- F16H7/08—Means for varying tension of belts, ropes, or chains
- F16H7/10—Means for varying tension of belts, ropes, or chains by adjusting the axis of a pulley
- F16H7/12—Means for varying tension of belts, ropes, or chains by adjusting the axis of a pulley of an idle pulley
- F16H7/1254—Means for varying tension of belts, ropes, or chains by adjusting the axis of a pulley of an idle pulley without vibration damping means
- F16H7/1281—Means for varying tension of belts, ropes, or chains by adjusting the axis of a pulley of an idle pulley without vibration damping means where the axis of the pulley moves along a substantially circular path
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16H—GEARING
- F16H7/00—Gearings for conveying rotary motion by endless flexible members
- F16H7/08—Means for varying tension of belts, ropes, or chains
- F16H2007/0802—Actuators for final output members
- F16H2007/081—Torsion springs
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a tensioner which operates to maintain a substantially constant tension in a flexible drive, such as a belt or chain. More specifically, the present invention relates to a tensioner which includes means to compensate for the wear of components of the tensioner which occurs during use.
- Tensioners for flexible drives such as accessory serpentine belts on automotive engines are well known.
- Such tensioners typically include a pulley, roller or other member, which is biased against the flexible drive by a spring or other biasing means.
- the pulley is mounted, via a bearing, to an arm which pivots with respect to the tensioner housing.
- the housing contains the spring or other biasing means which biases the arm towards the flexible drive to maintain a substantially constant tension in the flexible drive.
- Conventional tensioners can also include frictional members which ride on one another as the tensioner arm moves to provide a dampening force to the tensioner.
- a tensioner which provides a suitable dampening force, can provide compensation for normal wear of its components and which resists off-perpendicular movement of its components.
- US 5,795,257 discloses a tensioner having a torsion spring biasing a tensioner arm into a first pivotal direction with respect to a spindle having a support flange and a shaft. Additionally, the torsion spring applies an axial force to the tensioner arm so that a conical wall of the tensioner arm is pressed against a corresponding outer conical surface of a sliding bearing bush.
- a tensioner to tension a flexible drive comprising: a spindle having a base and a shaft extending perpendicular thereto; a bushing having an outer frustoconical surface and an inner surface complementary to the shape of the spindle shaft, the bushing receiving the shaft in its inner surface; a tensioner arm having a pivot surface complementary to and engaging the outer frustoconical surface of the bushing to allowing the tensioner arm to pivot about a central axis of the spindle shaft, the tensioner arm further having an attachment point for a rotatable member to engage a flexible drive, the attachment point being spaced from the pivot surface; a spring acting between the spindle and the tensioner arm to bias the tensioner arm to a first pivotal position about the spindle; and a wear take up mechanism to bias the bushing towards the pivot surface to compensate for wear of the bushing and/or pivot surface.
- the present invention provides a novel tensioner for use with flexible drives, such as serpentine accessory belts on automobiles or the like.
- the tensioner includes a tensioner arm to spindle pivot design which employs a frustoconical bushing between an inner pivot surface of the tensioner arm and a spindle shaft.
- the frustoconical design of the bushing resists off axis movement of the tensioner arm and a wear take up mechanism biases the bushing into contact with the inner pivot surface to compensate for normal wear of the bushing and/or pivot surface.
- a thrust plate may be mounted to the end of the spindle shaft and may ride in a thrust washer, the thrust plate and thrust washer may be held captive in the tensioner arm such that the tensioner arm can pivot about the bushing and the spindle and the thrust plate and thrust washer assist in inhibiting off-axis movement of the tensioner arm.
- Tensioner 20 comprises a spindle 24, best seen in Figure 2 , which includes a base 28 to abut an engine (not shown) when tensioner 20 is installed.
- Base 28 can include one or more index features, such as tab 32, which can engage complementary features on an engine to ensure that tensioner 20 is installed in, and remains in, a desired rotational orientation on the engine.
- Spindle 20 further includes a cylindrical shaft 36, which extends from base 28, and a spring raceway 40 with an endstop 44.
- a helical spring 48 acts between spindle 24 and a tensioner arm 50, best seen in Figure 3a and 3b .
- spring 48 is expanded as tensioner arm 50 is moved from its at rest position.
- spring 48 includes a first end which abuts endstop 44 when helical spring 48 is received in raceway 40 in spindle 24 and the opposite end of helical spring 48 abuts an endstop 52 on tensioner arm 50 when spring 48 is received in a raceway 56 in tensioner arm 50.
- spring 48 expand as tensioner arm 50 is moved from its at rest position as this avoids the expense for forming tangs at the ends of spring 48
- spring 48 can be arranged to be contracted as tensioner arm 50 is moved from its at rest position. In this configuration spring 48 will typically be provided with a bent tang at each end and tensioner arm 50 and spindle 24 will be provided with grooves or apertures to capture and retain the respective spring tangs.
- Tensioner arm 50 is pivotally mounted to shaft 36 of spindle 24 and is biased towards the flexible drive (not shown) to be tensioned by helical spring 48.
- a bearing 60 includes a cylindrical inner aperture 64 into which shaft 36 of spindle 24 is inserted.
- Inner cylindrical aperture 64 further includes at least one feature to index bearing 60 on shaft 36 to prevent rotation of bearing 60 on shaft 36.
- bearing 60 includes three ribs 72, 76 and 80 which engage complementary slots 84, 88 and 92 respectively to prevent bearing 60 from rotating on shaft 36 while allowing bearing 60 to be moved along shaft 36.
- the outer surface 68 of bearing 60 is frustoconical in shape, with bearing 60 receiving shaft 36 such that the large radius end of surface 68 is adjacent base 28.
- Tensioner arm 50 includes an inner pivot surface 96 which is complementary in shape to outer surface 68 of bearing 60. When assembled, as shown in Figure 5 , pivot surface 96 rides on outer surface 68 to allow tensioner arm 50 to pivot about the centerline of shaft 36.
- bearing 60 is preferably made from a material such as Delrin TM , or other reasonably hard nylon, which allows inner surface 96 of tensioner arm 50 to pivot on outer surface 68 as tensioner 20 operates, without undue wear of either inner surface 96 or outer surface 68 occurring.
- bearing 60 is preferably fabricated with a break 100, which provides some accommodation for manufacturing tolerances of shaft 36 and/or bearing 68, and at least one debris groove 104 on outer surface 68 and at least one debris groove 108 on inner surface 64.
- Debris grooves 104 capture water and/or foreign materials entrapped between outer surface 68 and inner surface 96 and allow the debris to travel along grooves 104 and exit tensioner 20 to reduce wear of the respective surfaces from entrapped debris.
- debris grooves 108 capture water and/or foreign materials entrapped between inner surface 64 and the outer surface of shaft 36 and allow the debris to travel along grooves 108 and exit tensioner 20 to reduce wear of the respective surfaces from entrapped debris.
- outer surface 68 of bushing 60 will eventually wear under normal use. Accordingly, in the present invention, as wear of outer surface 68 occurs, bushing 60 is urged away from base 28 along shaft 36 by a wear take up mechanism and this results in outer surface 68 being maintained in full contact with inner pivot surface 96 despite wear of outer surface 68.
- the wear take up mechanism comprises a bushing guide 112 and a compression spring 116, best seen in Figure 6 .
- Bushing guide 112 includes tabs 120 which extend through slots 124 in shaft 36 to engage tab receiving grooves 128 in the base of bushing 60.
- Compression spring 116 is pressed into spindle 24 with bushing guide 112 and compression spring 116 acts between the inner surface of base 28 and bushing guide 112 to bias bushing guide 112 away from base 28.
- the biasing force of spring 116 is applied to bushing 60 and outer surface 68 is biased into contact with inner pivot surface 96.
- Spring 116 can be of a wide variety of types and/or designs, as will occur to those of skill in the art, to achieve a desired dampening function for tensioner 20.
- spring 116 can be a straight coil (i.e. - linear) spring, a tapered coil spring, an elastomeric spring such as a synthetic rubber member, a closed cell foam spring, etc. Selection of an appropriate spring design is within the normal skills of those of skill in the art and will not be further discussed herein.
- bushing guide 112 can be omitted and spring 116 can act directly against bushing 60 via a tang or other feature that extends through slots 124 to engage the end of bushing 60.
- a rotatable member is connected to tensioner arm 50 to engage the flexible drive and apply the tensioning force created by tensioner 20 to the flexible drive.
- the rotatable member comprises a pulley 132 with a roller bearing 136 which allows it to rotate freely with a flexible drive about a bolt 140 by which it is mounted to tensioner arm 50.
- bearing 136 is a separate component, it is also contemplated that in other embodiments bearing 136 can be integrally formed with pulley 132 if desired.
- Bolt 140 engages an internally threaded bore 144 in tensioner arm 50.
- Tensioner arm 50 is mounted to spindle 24 by a thrust plate 148 and thrust washer 152, best seen in Figure 7 .
- Thrust washer 152 includes indexing tabs 156 to prevent rotation of thrust washer 152, with respect to tensioner arm 50, when tensioner 20 is assembled.
- thrust washer 152 is inserted into a slot 160 (best seen in Figure 3a ) in tensioner arm 50.
- Slot 160 includes index grooves 164 which are complementary to index tabs 156 on thrust washer 152 and which engage index tabs 156 when thrust washer 152 is inserted into slot 160.
- thrust plate 148 is inserted into a slot 168 in thrust washer 152.
- spindle 24 includes a set of staking posts 172 and thrust plate 148 includes a complementary set of staking bores 176.
- thrust washer 152 and thrust plate 148 are assembled in tensioner arm 50, the resulting assembly can be joined to spindle 24 and helical spring 48 with staking posts 172 being received in staking bores 176 and tensioner 20 permanently joined, as shown in Figure 5 , by compressing and flaring staking posts 172 in bores 176.
- a center bore 178 in thrust plate 148 aligns with a similar center bore 180 in spindle 24 and these bores allow tensioner 20 to be installed on an engine or other device by a bolt or other fastener passing therethrough.
- thrust plate 148 includes a limit tang 182 which extends radially outwardly and then downwardly from thrust plate 148 and tensioner arm 50 includes a pair of end stops 184 and 188 which limit tang 180 will abut at each end of the intended operating range of tensioner 20 to limit further rotation of tensioner arm 50.
- limit tang 180 and/or end stops 184 and 188 can be employed for limit tang 180 and/or end stops 184 and 188 to provide a desired operating range for tensioner 20.
- Thrust washer 162 is preferably fabricated from a material similar to that from which bushing 60 is fabricated to allow rotation of tensioner arm 50 with respect to spindle 24 and thrust plate 148.
- thrust washer 152 thrust plate 148 and tensioner arm 50 provide advantages to tensioner 20.
- the large radial diameter of thrust plate 148 against which tensioner arm 50 rides, via thrust washer 152 provides a large surface and moment arm to prevent off-axis movement of tensioner arm 50 and pulley 132.
- the frictional force developed between thrust plate 148 and thrust washer 152 provide further dampening for tensioner 20.
- compression spring 116 of the wear take up mechanism of the present invention can be replaced by, or used in conjunction with, a controllable actuator, such as an electric solenoid or a pressure actuator, such as a pneumatic actuator supplied with pressurized engine lubricating oil.
- a controllable actuator such as an electric solenoid or a pressure actuator, such as a pneumatic actuator supplied with pressurized engine lubricating oil.
- the amount of dampening produced by the frictional force between bushing 60 and tensioner arm 50 can be varied by altering the biasing force applied to bushing 60 by the wear take up mechanism.
- FIG. 8 A second embodiment of a spindle 200 for tensioner 20 is illustrated in Figure 8 wherein like features to those of spindle 24 are indicated with like reference numbers with an "a" appended thereto.
- shaft 36a of spindle 200 is formed with a series of small step-like decreases in the radius of shaft 36a.
- the expense of manufacturing and operating molds for spindle 200 is reduced from that of spindle 24.
- the inner surface 64 of bushing 60 will be formed in a slightly frustoconical shape complementary to the shape of shaft 36a and, in conjunction with break 100 in bushing 60, bushing 60 will still ride on shaft 36a with sufficient alignment to provide the desired resistance to off-axis movement of tensioner arm 50.
- the present invention provides a novel tensioner for use with flexible drives, such as serpentine accessory belts on automobiles.
- the tensioner includes a tensioner arm to spindle pivot design which employs a frustoconical bushing between an inner pivot surface of the tensioner arm and a spindle shaft.
- the frustoconical design of the bushing resists off axis movement of the tensioner arm and a wear take up mechanism biases the bushing into contact with the inner pivot surface to compensate for normal wear of the bushing and/or pivot surface.
- a thrust plate is mounted to the end of the spindle shaft and rides in a thrust washer, the thrust plate and thrust washer being held captive in the tensioner arm such that the tensioner arm can pivot about the bushing and the spindle and the thrust plate and thrust washer assist in inhibiting off-axis movement of the tensioner arm.
- the biasing force which biases the bushing against the inner pivot surface of the tensioner arm can be varied to change the amount of dampening of the tensioner.
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- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
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Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to a tensioner which operates to maintain a substantially constant tension in a flexible drive, such as a belt or chain. More specifically, the present invention relates to a tensioner which includes means to compensate for the wear of components of the tensioner which occurs during use.
- Tensioners for flexible drives, such as accessory serpentine belts on automotive engines are well known. Such tensioners typically include a pulley, roller or other member, which is biased against the flexible drive by a spring or other biasing means. The pulley is mounted, via a bearing, to an arm which pivots with respect to the tensioner housing. The housing contains the spring or other biasing means which biases the arm towards the flexible drive to maintain a substantially constant tension in the flexible drive. Conventional tensioners can also include frictional members which ride on one another as the tensioner arm moves to provide a dampening force to the tensioner.
- While such prior art tensioners are widely employed, they do suffer from some disadvantages. In particular, due to the relatively large forces which must be carried by the tensioner arm, wear at the pivot attaching the arm to the tensioner housing is common and such wear can result in the pulley moving to an off-axis position wherein the surface of the pulley is not substantially perpendicular to the engagement surface of the flexible drive. Such off-axis positioning of the pulley results in increased amounts of wear at the pivot and eventually will result in the flexible drive being damaged and/or slipping off the tensioner pulley altogether.
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DE 41 25 494 C1 discloses tensioners having a housing with a base and a cup-shaped portion. A tensioner arm is provided with a shaft extending into said housing. - It is desired to have a tensioner which provides a suitable dampening force, can provide compensation for normal wear of its components and which resists off-perpendicular movement of its components.
The closest prior art documentUS 5,795,257 discloses a tensioner having a torsion spring biasing a tensioner arm into a first pivotal direction with respect to a spindle having a support flange and a shaft. Additionally, the torsion spring applies an axial force to the tensioner arm so that a conical wall of the tensioner arm is pressed against a corresponding outer conical surface of a sliding bearing bush. - It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel tensioner which obviates or mitigates at least one disadvantage of the prior art.
According to the present invention, the object is solved by a tensioner having the features of claim 1. - According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tensioner to tension a flexible drive, comprising: a spindle having a base and a shaft extending perpendicular thereto; a bushing having an outer frustoconical surface and an inner surface complementary to the shape of the spindle shaft, the bushing receiving the shaft in its inner surface; a tensioner arm having a pivot surface complementary to and engaging the outer frustoconical surface of the bushing to allowing the tensioner arm to pivot about a central axis of the spindle shaft, the tensioner arm further having an attachment point for a rotatable member to engage a flexible drive, the attachment point being spaced from the pivot surface; a spring acting between the spindle and the tensioner arm to bias the tensioner arm to a first pivotal position about the spindle; and a wear take up mechanism to bias the bushing towards the pivot surface to compensate for wear of the bushing and/or pivot surface.
- The present invention provides a novel tensioner for use with flexible drives, such as serpentine accessory belts on automobiles or the like. The tensioner includes a tensioner arm to spindle pivot design which employs a frustoconical bushing between an inner pivot surface of the tensioner arm and a spindle shaft. The frustoconical design of the bushing resists off axis movement of the tensioner arm and a wear take up mechanism biases the bushing into contact with the inner pivot surface to compensate for normal wear of the bushing and/or pivot surface. A thrust plate may be mounted to the end of the spindle shaft and may ride in a thrust washer, the thrust plate and thrust washer may be held captive in the tensioner arm such that the tensioner arm can pivot about the bushing and the spindle and the thrust plate and thrust washer assist in inhibiting off-axis movement of the tensioner arm.
- Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the attached Figures, wherein:
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Figure 1 shows a perspective exploded view of a tensioner in accordance with the present invention; -
Figure 2 shows a spindle for the tensioner ofFigure 1 ; -
Figures 3a and 3b shows a perspective top and bottom view, respectively, of a tensioner arm for the tensioner ofFigure 1 ; -
Figure 4 shows a perspective view of a bushing for the tensioner ofFigure 1 ; -
Figure 5 shows a side cross section view of the assembled tensioner ofFigure 1 ; -
Figure 6 shows a wear take up mechanism for the tensioner ofFigure 1 ; -
Figure 7 shows a thrust plate and thrust washer for the tensioner ofFigure 1 ; and -
Figure 8 shows another embodiment of a spindle for the tensioner ofFigure 1 . - A tensioner in accordance with the present invention is indicated generally at 20 in
Figure 1 .Tensioner 20 comprises aspindle 24, best seen inFigure 2 , which includes abase 28 to abut an engine (not shown) whentensioner 20 is installed.Base 28 can include one or more index features, such astab 32, which can engage complementary features on an engine to ensure thattensioner 20 is installed in, and remains in, a desired rotational orientation on the engine. Spindle 20 further includes acylindrical shaft 36, which extends frombase 28, and aspring raceway 40 with anendstop 44. - A
helical spring 48 acts betweenspindle 24 and atensioner arm 50, best seen inFigure 3a and 3b . In the illustrated embodiment,spring 48 is expanded astensioner arm 50 is moved from its at rest position. In this configuration,spring 48 includes a first end which abutsendstop 44 whenhelical spring 48 is received inraceway 40 inspindle 24 and the opposite end ofhelical spring 48 abuts anendstop 52 ontensioner arm 50 whenspring 48 is received in araceway 56 intensioner arm 50. - While it is presently preferred that
spring 48 expand astensioner arm 50 is moved from its at rest position as this avoids the expense for forming tangs at the ends ofspring 48, it is also contemplated thatspring 48 can be arranged to be contracted astensioner arm 50 is moved from its at rest position. In thisconfiguration spring 48 will typically be provided with a bent tang at each end andtensioner arm 50 andspindle 24 will be provided with grooves or apertures to capture and retain the respective spring tangs. -
Tensioner arm 50 is pivotally mounted toshaft 36 ofspindle 24 and is biased towards the flexible drive (not shown) to be tensioned byhelical spring 48. Specifically, abearing 60, best seen inFigure 4 , includes a cylindricalinner aperture 64 into whichshaft 36 ofspindle 24 is inserted. Innercylindrical aperture 64 further includes at least one feature to index bearing 60 onshaft 36 to prevent rotation of bearing 60 onshaft 36. In the illustrated embodiment, bearing 60 includes threeribs complementary slots shaft 36 while allowing bearing 60 to be moved alongshaft 36. Theouter surface 68 ofbearing 60 is frustoconical in shape, with bearing 60 receivingshaft 36 such that the large radius end ofsurface 68 isadjacent base 28. -
Tensioner arm 50 includes aninner pivot surface 96 which is complementary in shape toouter surface 68 ofbearing 60. When assembled, as shown inFigure 5 ,pivot surface 96 rides onouter surface 68 to allowtensioner arm 50 to pivot about the centerline ofshaft 36. - Returning to
Figure 4 ,bearing 60 is preferably made from a material such as Delrin™, or other reasonably hard nylon, which allowsinner surface 96 oftensioner arm 50 to pivot onouter surface 68 astensioner 20 operates, without undue wear of eitherinner surface 96 orouter surface 68 occurring. As is also shown inFigure 4 ,bearing 60 is preferably fabricated with abreak 100, which provides some accommodation for manufacturing tolerances ofshaft 36 and/or bearing 68, and at least onedebris groove 104 onouter surface 68 and at least onedebris groove 108 oninner surface 64. Debris grooves 104 capture water and/or foreign materials entrapped betweenouter surface 68 andinner surface 96 and allow the debris to travel alonggrooves 104 andexit tensioner 20 to reduce wear of the respective surfaces from entrapped debris. Similarly,debris grooves 108 capture water and/or foreign materials entrapped betweeninner surface 64 and the outer surface ofshaft 36 and allow the debris to travel alonggrooves 108 andexit tensioner 20 to reduce wear of the respective surfaces from entrapped debris. - As will be apparent to those of skill in the art, despite the appropriate selection of a material to fabricate bushing 60 and the provision of
debris grooves outer surface 68 of bushing 60 will eventually wear under normal use. Accordingly, in the present invention, as wear ofouter surface 68 occurs, bushing 60 is urged away frombase 28 alongshaft 36 by a wear take up mechanism and this results inouter surface 68 being maintained in full contact withinner pivot surface 96 despite wear ofouter surface 68. - In the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in
Figures 1 through 7 , the wear take up mechanism comprises abushing guide 112 and acompression spring 116, best seen inFigure 6 .Bushing guide 112 includestabs 120 which extend throughslots 124 inshaft 36 to engagetab receiving grooves 128 in the base of bushing 60.Compression spring 116 is pressed intospindle 24 withbushing guide 112 andcompression spring 116 acts between the inner surface ofbase 28 and bushingguide 112 to biasbushing guide 112 away frombase 28. Astabs 120 engage bushing 60, the biasing force ofspring 116 is applied to bushing 60 andouter surface 68 is biased into contact withinner pivot surface 96. -
Spring 116 can be of a wide variety of types and/or designs, as will occur to those of skill in the art, to achieve a desired dampening function fortensioner 20. For example,spring 116 can be a straight coil (i.e. - linear) spring, a tapered coil spring, an elastomeric spring such as a synthetic rubber member, a closed cell foam spring, etc. Selection of an appropriate spring design is within the normal skills of those of skill in the art and will not be further discussed herein. - It is also contemplated that, in some embodiments,
bushing guide 112 can be omitted andspring 116 can act directly againstbushing 60 via a tang or other feature that extends throughslots 124 to engage the end ofbushing 60. - As will now be apparent to those of skill in the art, by biasing
bushing 60 towardtensioner arm 50,outer surface 68 ofbushing 60 is maintained in contact withinner pivot surface 96, despite wear ofbushing 60 which may occur in normal use oftensioner 50. By maintainingouter surface 68 in contact withinner pivot surface 96, off-axis movement (i.e. - tilt) oftensioner arm 50 is prevented. Further, as is understood by those of skill in the art, the friction betweenouter surface 68 ofbushing 60 andinner pivot surface 96 acts as a dampening force to reduce oscillations oftensioner arm 50 during operation. By biasingbushing 60 towardtensioner arm 50 to maintain contact ofouter surface 68 withinner pivot surface 96, the dampening force created therebetween is substantially constant, despite normal wear ofbushing 60. Further, changes in the dampening force betweentensioner arm 50 andspindle 24 and/or changes to the alignment oftensioner arm 50 andspindle 24 which may otherwise occur due to thermal expansion of components oftensioner 20 are mitigated by the above described movement ofbushing 60 alongshaft 36, towards and/or away frominner pivot surface 96. - As shown in
Figures 1 and5 , a rotatable member is connected to tensionerarm 50 to engage the flexible drive and apply the tensioning force created bytensioner 20 to the flexible drive. In the illustrated embodiment, the rotatable member comprises apulley 132 with aroller bearing 136 which allows it to rotate freely with a flexible drive about abolt 140 by which it is mounted totensioner arm 50. While in the illustrated embodiment, bearing 136 is a separate component, it is also contemplated that in other embodiments bearing 136 can be integrally formed withpulley 132 if desired.Bolt 140 engages an internally threaded bore 144 intensioner arm 50. -
Tensioner arm 50 is mounted to spindle 24 by athrust plate 148 and thrustwasher 152, best seen inFigure 7 .Thrust washer 152 includesindexing tabs 156 to prevent rotation ofthrust washer 152, with respect totensioner arm 50, whentensioner 20 is assembled. To assembletensioner 20, thrustwasher 152 is inserted into a slot 160 (best seen inFigure 3a ) intensioner arm 50.Slot 160 includesindex grooves 164 which are complementary to indextabs 156 onthrust washer 152 and which engageindex tabs 156 when thrustwasher 152 is inserted intoslot 160. - Once
thrust washer 152 is in place inslot 160, thrustplate 148 is inserted into aslot 168 inthrust washer 152. As shown inFigure 2 ,spindle 24 includes a set of stakingposts 172 and thrustplate 148 includes a complementary set of staking bores 176. When thrustwasher 152 and thrustplate 148 are assembled intensioner arm 50, the resulting assembly can be joined tospindle 24 andhelical spring 48 with stakingposts 172 being received in staking bores 176 andtensioner 20 permanently joined, as shown inFigure 5 , by compressing andflaring staking posts 172 inbores 176. A center bore 178 inthrust plate 148 aligns with a similar center bore 180 inspindle 24 and these bores allowtensioner 20 to be installed on an engine or other device by a bolt or other fastener passing therethrough. - In the illustrated embodiment,
thrust plate 148 includes alimit tang 182 which extends radially outwardly and then downwardly fromthrust plate 148 andtensioner arm 50 includes a pair of end stops 184 and 188 which limittang 180 will abut at each end of the intended operating range oftensioner 20 to limit further rotation oftensioner arm 50. As will be apparent to those of skill in the art, a wide variety of other geometries can be employed forlimit tang 180 and/or end stops 184 and 188 to provide a desired operating range fortensioner 20. Thrust washer 162 is preferably fabricated from a material similar to that from whichbushing 60 is fabricated to allow rotation oftensioner arm 50 with respect tospindle 24 and thrustplate 148. - It is believed that the design and arrangement of
thrust washer 152, thrustplate 148 andtensioner arm 50 provide advantages to tensioner 20. In particular, the large radial diameter ofthrust plate 148 against which tensionerarm 50 rides, viathrust washer 152, provides a large surface and moment arm to prevent off-axis movement oftensioner arm 50 andpulley 132. Further, the frictional force developed betweenthrust plate 148 and thrustwasher 152 provide further dampening fortensioner 20. - As mentioned above, off-axis movement of
tensioner arm 50 and/orpulley 132 can result in increased wear oftensioner 20 and/or the flexible drive means being tensioned and, if the off-axis movement is sufficient to allow the flexible drive means to move off ofpulley 132, failure of the flexible drive means. Accordingly, the novel wear compensation mechanism of the present invention is believed to afford significant advantages in reducing off-axis movement oftensioner arm 50. Further, the novel arrangement ofthrust plate 148 and thrustwasher 152 withtensioner arm 50 advantageously further reduces off-axis movement oftensioner arm 50 andpulley 132. - While it is important for proper operation of flexible drive means, such as accessory serpentine belt drive on automobiles, that their tensioners provide adequate dampening to the flexible drive, it is contemplated by the present inventors that it can be advantageous to have the ability to vary the amount of dampening for different operating conditions. Accordingly, it is contemplated that
compression spring 116 of the wear take up mechanism of the present invention can be replaced by, or used in conjunction with, a controllable actuator, such as an electric solenoid or a pressure actuator, such as a pneumatic actuator supplied with pressurized engine lubricating oil. In such a case, the amount of dampening produced by the frictional force betweenbushing 60 andtensioner arm 50 can be varied by altering the biasing force applied tobushing 60 by the wear take up mechanism. When high mounts of dampening are required, increased biasing force can be applied to bushing 60 to increase the frictional force developed betweenouter surface 68 andinner pivot surface 96. When lower amounts of dampening are required, a reduced biasing force can be applied to bushing 60 to decease the frictional force developed betweenouter surface 68 andinner pivot surface 96. However, in either circumstance, it is contemplated that sufficient biasing force will always be applied to bushing 60 to compensate for wear. - A second embodiment of a
spindle 200 fortensioner 20 is illustrated inFigure 8 wherein like features to those ofspindle 24 are indicated with like reference numbers with an "a" appended thereto. In this embodiment,shaft 36a ofspindle 200 is formed with a series of small step-like decreases in the radius ofshaft 36a. As will be apparent to those of skill in the art, by formingspindle 200 withshaft 36a having such small decreases in its radius, the expense of manufacturing and operating molds forspindle 200 is reduced from that ofspindle 24. Ifspindle 200 is to be used intensioner 20, theinner surface 64 ofbushing 60 will be formed in a slightly frustoconical shape complementary to the shape ofshaft 36a and, in conjunction withbreak 100 inbushing 60, bushing 60 will still ride onshaft 36a with sufficient alignment to provide the desired resistance to off-axis movement oftensioner arm 50. - The present invention provides a novel tensioner for use with flexible drives, such as serpentine accessory belts on automobiles. The tensioner includes a tensioner arm to spindle pivot design which employs a frustoconical bushing between an inner pivot surface of the tensioner arm and a spindle shaft. The frustoconical design of the bushing resists off axis movement of the tensioner arm and a wear take up mechanism biases the bushing into contact with the inner pivot surface to compensate for normal wear of the bushing and/or pivot surface. A thrust plate is mounted to the end of the spindle shaft and rides in a thrust washer, the thrust plate and thrust washer being held captive in the tensioner arm such that the tensioner arm can pivot about the bushing and the spindle and the thrust plate and thrust washer assist in inhibiting off-axis movement of the tensioner arm.
- In one embodiment, the biasing force which biases the bushing against the inner pivot surface of the tensioner arm can be varied to change the amount of dampening of the tensioner.
- The above-described embodiments of the invention are intended to be examples of the present invention and alterations and modifications may be effected thereto, by those of skill in the art, without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined solely by the claims appended hereto.
Claims (10)
- A tensioner (20) to tension a flexible drive, comprising:a spindle (24, 200) having a base (28, 28a) and a shaft (36, 36a) extending perpendicular thereto;a bushing (60) having an outer frustoconical surface (68) and an inner surface (64) complementary to the shape of the spindle shaft (36, 36a), the bushing (60) receiving the shaft (36, 36a) in its inner surface (64);a tensioner arm (50) having a pivot surface (96) complementary to and engaging the outer frustoconical surface (68) of the bushing (60) to allowing the tensioner arm (50) to pivot about a central axis of the spindle shaft (36, 36a), the tensioner arm (50) further having an attachment point for a rotatable member (132) to engage a flexible drive, the attachment point being spaced from the pivot surface (96);a spring (48) acting between the spindle (24, 200) and the tensioner arm (50) to bias the tensioner arm (50) to a first pivotal position about the spindle (24, 200); anda wear take up mechanism (112, 116) to bias the bushing (60) towards the pivot surface (96) to compensate for wear of the bushing and/or pivot surface, wherein the wear take up mechanism comprises a spring (116) acting between the spindle (24, 200) and the bushing (60),characterized in that
the tensioner further comprises a bushing guide (112) moveable within the spindle (24, 200) and including at least one tab (120) extending through a slot (124, 124a) from within the spindle (24, 200) to the bushing (60) wherein the spring (116) acts between the spindle (24, 200) and the bushing guide (112) and the bushing guide (112) biases the bushing (116) towards the pivot surface (96). - The tensioner of claim 1 further comprising a rotatable member (132) to engage a flexible drive, the rotatable member (132) being mounted to the attachment point of the tensioner arm (50) via a bearing (136).
- The tensioner of claim 2 wherein the rotatable member is a pulley (132) and the bearing is a roller bearing (136).
- The tensioner of one of the preceding claims, wherein the spring is a coil spring (116).
- The tensioner of one of the preceding claims, wherein the spring is an elastomeric element.
- The tensioner of one of the preceding claims, wherein the tensioner arm (50) includes a slot (160) to receive a thrust plate (148) and a thrust washer (152) and wherein the thrust plate (148) is affixed to the end of the spindle (24, 200) about the central axis of the shaft to keep the thrust plate (148) and thrust washer (152) captive in the tensioner arm (50), the thrust plate (148) being operable to inhibit the tensioner arm (50) from movement off-axis with respect to the central axis of the shaft (36, 36a).
- The tensioner of one of the preceding claims, wherein the wear take up mechanism comprises a solenoid which is electrically operable to vary the force with which the bushing (60) is biased towards the pivot surface (96).
- The tensioner of one of the preceding claims, wherein the wear take up mechanism comprises a hydraulic actuator which is operable to vary the force with which the bushing (60) is biased towards the pivot surface (96).
- The tensioner of one of the preceding claims, wherein the radial diameter of the shaft (36a) decreases in a series steps from the base (28a) of the spindle (200) and the inner surface of the bushing has a shape which is complementary to the shape of the shaft (36a).
- The tensioner of one of the preceding claims, wherein the wear take up mechanism mitigates changes in operation of the tensioner (20) due to thermal expansion.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
PL06721690T PL1861635T3 (en) | 2005-03-21 | 2006-03-20 | Belt tensioner with wear compensation |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US66385305P | 2005-03-21 | 2005-03-21 | |
PCT/CA2006/000422 WO2006099731A1 (en) | 2005-03-21 | 2006-03-20 | Belt tensioner with wear compensation |
Publications (3)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP1861635A1 EP1861635A1 (en) | 2007-12-05 |
EP1861635A4 EP1861635A4 (en) | 2008-04-23 |
EP1861635B1 true EP1861635B1 (en) | 2010-11-24 |
Family
ID=37023344
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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EP06721690A Active EP1861635B1 (en) | 2005-03-21 | 2006-03-20 | Belt tensioner with wear compensation |
Country Status (10)
Country | Link |
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US (1) | US8562466B2 (en) |
EP (1) | EP1861635B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP4949376B2 (en) |
KR (1) | KR101239441B1 (en) |
CN (2) | CN101922536B (en) |
BR (1) | BRPI0609664B1 (en) |
CA (1) | CA2601901C (en) |
DE (1) | DE602006018430D1 (en) |
PL (1) | PL1861635T3 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2006099731A1 (en) |
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-
2006
- 2006-03-20 KR KR1020077021567A patent/KR101239441B1/en active IP Right Grant
- 2006-03-20 BR BRPI0609664A patent/BRPI0609664B1/en active IP Right Grant
- 2006-03-20 PL PL06721690T patent/PL1861635T3/en unknown
- 2006-03-20 EP EP06721690A patent/EP1861635B1/en active Active
- 2006-03-20 DE DE602006018430T patent/DE602006018430D1/en active Active
- 2006-03-20 CN CN2010102053467A patent/CN101922536B/en active Active
- 2006-03-20 JP JP2008502202A patent/JP4949376B2/en active Active
- 2006-03-20 CN CN2006800089273A patent/CN101147012B/en active Active
- 2006-03-20 CA CA2601901A patent/CA2601901C/en active Active
- 2006-03-20 WO PCT/CA2006/000422 patent/WO2006099731A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 2006-03-20 US US11/908,187 patent/US8562466B2/en active Active
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
CN101147012A (en) | 2008-03-19 |
PL1861635T3 (en) | 2011-05-31 |
CN101147012B (en) | 2010-09-01 |
EP1861635A4 (en) | 2008-04-23 |
JP4949376B2 (en) | 2012-06-06 |
CN101922536B (en) | 2013-02-20 |
US8562466B2 (en) | 2013-10-22 |
BRPI0609664A2 (en) | 2011-10-18 |
BRPI0609664B1 (en) | 2019-01-15 |
CA2601901A1 (en) | 2006-09-28 |
CN101922536A (en) | 2010-12-22 |
KR101239441B1 (en) | 2013-03-06 |
JP2008533411A (en) | 2008-08-21 |
EP1861635A1 (en) | 2007-12-05 |
KR20070112209A (en) | 2007-11-22 |
CA2601901C (en) | 2013-09-17 |
DE602006018430D1 (en) | 2011-01-05 |
US20080194366A1 (en) | 2008-08-14 |
WO2006099731A1 (en) | 2006-09-28 |
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